1971 Dart Swinger Worm Gear Adjustment
Ok, so as an update, the adjustment set screw and the nut are absolutely fused together, they both turn together and I couldn't get them to separate, not sure exactly how big of a problem this is considering what I found up in the steering column.
I'm fairly certain that the play is in the steering column and more so, the bottom part of the shaft, when I grabbed it to start to twist it there, I felt all kinds of slop in that whole thing, in all directions. I also noticed a bolt run all the way through the outer column and the lower shaft (picture attached), which I don't think is supposed to be there, maybe some kind of rigged up way of trying to fix the slop issue.
So, now I have to wonder, since that sector shaft adjuster is pretty much fused up and I have slop in the lower shaft, what exactly do I replace? The whole thing from column all the way to the gearbox? Or should I just try and replace the lower unit in the steering column since that appears to be where all the slop is now? Or is it even possible to just replace that lower unit in the column? Does this mean entire new steering column?
The biggest problem I have here is that, in my area (Charleston, SC), there aren't many places that employ quality mechanics that can work on older cars. Most places I've called to check on this type of work flat out say they can't do it and still be able to guarantee the work. I don't think I'm up to replacing the entire steering column at this point by myself, so I'm in a bit of a bind here. Any other suggestions?
Ok, so as an update, the adjustment set screw and the nut are absolutely fused together, they both turn together and I couldn't get them to separate, not sure exactly how big of a problem this is considering what I found up in the steering column.
I'm fairly certain that the play is in the steering column and more so, the bottom part of the shaft, when I grabbed it to start to twist it there, I felt all kinds of slop in that whole thing, in all directions. I also noticed a bolt run all the way through the outer column and the lower shaft (picture attached), which I don't think is supposed to be there, maybe some kind of rigged up way of trying to fix the slop issue.
So, now I have to wonder, since that sector shaft adjuster is pretty much fused up and I have slop in the lower shaft, what exactly do I replace? The whole thing from column all the way to the gearbox? Or should I just try and replace the lower unit in the steering column since that appears to be where all the slop is now? Or is it even possible to just replace that lower unit in the column? Does this mean entire new steering column?
The biggest problem I have here is that, in my area (Charleston, SC), there aren't many places that employ quality mechanics that can work on older cars. Most places I've called to check on this type of work flat out say they can't do it and still be able to guarantee the work. I don't think I'm up to replacing the entire steering column at this point by myself, so I'm in a bit of a bind here. Any other suggestions?
